Sunday, November 11, 2018

"PressTV: Do you think, considering all the countries that seem to defy US sanctions, has anything changed in recent times?PK: Absolutely. A lot. It would have been
unthinkable only 5 to 10 years ago that countries like Iran, Venezuela
and others trade hydrocarbons, and other goods and commodities, in other
currencies than the US dollar. Today it has become a common occurrence.
It started some 5 years ago with Russia and China, when they detached
themselves from the dollar dictate — opening swap accounts in their
respective central banks and started trading in their local currencies,
circumventing the SWIFT payment system and the “obligatory” Wall Street
banks.
This is also reflected in the fact that the US dollar is rapidly
losing its status as the world’s reserve currency. When some 20 years
back more than 90% of all reserves were held in US dollar denominated
securities, today that figure has shrunk to less than 60% – and is going
down as we speak. The Chinese yuan is largely replacing the dollar as
reserve currency. Some two years ago, the Yuan was admitted by the IMF
in the basket of reserve currencies. Since then the yuan has become
officially recognized also by the west as a viable reserve money. Many
treasurers around the world, who may have been afraid before to divest
their dollar reserves into yuans, now dare do so. This, in the not too
distant, future may mean the end of the dollar hegemony."

"Are Trump's Anti-Iranian Sanctions-Waivers Strategic Or Signs Of Weakness?" (Korybko). Odd neocon spinning from Korybko. The simple fact of it is that American politicians have taken shekel bribes to take steps against the clear national interest of the US, and they are fumbling to mitigate the short and long term damage while pretending to deliver what the Khazars want.

Sheldon's not happy with his return on shekel bribe investment, so his wife gets the booby prize: "Jerusalem, Iran Deal and ‘Presidential Medal of Freedom’ — Miriam Adelson has better year than Babe Ruth!" (Weiss). When I first read the list of award winners, I thought it was a joke - Babe Ruth! Trump has a wicked sense of humor.

"Iran Needs to Address the Broader Issue of Its National Economy: A Macroeconomic Strategy in Response to US Sanctions" (Hossein-Zadeh). Russia has done very well by turning the opportunities offered by the sanctions to its national economic advantage. For one thing, the 'emergency' creates an opportunity/excuse to suppress the usual oligarch grasping that occurs in every country.

"Banksy's art highlighting occupation angers Israeli peace-pretender". All the Khazars are 'peace-pretenders', the best description of their shtick.

"It was bad enough that Western officialdom simply ignored the popular will of the Macedonians and collectively pretended that a 36.91% referendum turnout in fact expressed the “will of the majority,” and that it was sufficiently legitimate to move the matter to Parliament, where a two-thirds vote was required to move forward with the process of amending the constitution. This despite the fact that the West’s hand-picked prime minister, Zoran Zaev, had given assurances before the referendum that “citizens will make the decision,” and that Parliament would vote on the necessary constitutional changes only if the referendum was successful (meaning a 50% + 1 turnout and a majority “yes” vote).

Then, five days before the parliamentary vote, US Vice-President Mike Pence sent a “letter of support” to Zaev, ascertaining that Macedonians had, in fact, approved the name change agreement with Greece after all, because, you see, “90% (or less than a third of all the Macedonian voters – author’s note) of those that voted approved the Prespa Agreement.” Two days later, US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Wess Mitchell, fired off a letter to Hristijan Mickoski, the leader of Macedonia’s main opposition party (which opposes the name change agreement with Greece), VMRO-DPMNE, expressing “disappointment” with his party’s negative position vis-à-vis the referendum and the upcoming parliamentary vote and urging him to “create space” for his party’s MPs to vote “free from threats of violence, retribution, or other forms of coercion.”

As it turned out, Mitchell’s just wanted to make sure that “threats of violence, retribution or other forms of coercion” would remain the exclusive domain of Zaev’s puppet government and the US Embassy. And, thus, four days before the parliamentary vote, Zaev put forth an “indecent proposal” for the opposition, i.e. “amnesty for their members who are on trial for unrest at the Assembly that took place on April 27 of last year," when a former Albanian terrorist guerilla commander was elected as Parliament Speaker under strong US and EU pressure. Or, as Zaev pithily put it: “I know that everything has a price. I am ready to pay it.”

On voting day, October 19, the vote was delayed three times until the necessary two-thirds majority was secured. As to how it was secured was best summarized by a Russian Foreign Ministry statement:

“We consider what happened as a flagrant violation of all norms – both from the point of view of the law and in the moral sense… Eight votes that were necessary to secure a qualified majority were ensured by the means of blackmailing, threats and bribing opposition parliament members. Three of them, purely by chance, were released from arrest on that same day. Two others, who had open cases investigated by special prosecutors, were promised freedom. Others received corrupt financial offers in exchange for 'the right vote'. Parliament members were locked in their rooms, their cell phones were seized – this is very much in line with the spirit of European democratic practice… The American ambassador was present in the Parliament building until the end of the session, leaving no doubt as to who was leading the process… Such dirty manipulations cannot be considered the expression of will of parliament members….”

That the Russians were not exaggerating was confirmed by, among others, a tweet from Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos: “Who would have thought that in Europe of values and democracy those who do not vote according to instructions are jailed, and those who comply get a 2 million euro bonus in black money.”

Opposition leader Mickoski denounced the parliamentary circus as Macedonia’s “Black Friday” and a case of “classic rape,” and proceeded to expel from the party the seven MPs who changed sides and helped secure the necessary two-thirds vote. Bulgarian daily “Sliven Now” accused the CIA and Greece’s Soros funds of bribing the renegade Macedonian MPs. (Links between US diplomats – specifically the present US Ambassador to Macedonia, Jess Baily – and billionaire interventionist George Soros and their joint work on destabilizing Macedonia using US taxpayer money have been public knowledge for a couple of years.) According to a former adviser to the Macedonian President, Cvetin Chilimanov, the Parliament building was “under siege” on the day of the voting, teeming with politicians, police and officials from the public prosecutor’s office, and opposition leaders claimed that their MPs were offered anywhere from 250.000 to 2 million euros to change their vote.

Naturally, as was the failed referendum, the parliamentary charade was hailed by the usual EU/NATO suspects. EU Commissioner for European Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn gushed that it was “a great day for democracy in Skopje,” adding for good measure his expectation that “the free choice of all MPs is fully respected.” Hahn also issued a supportive joint statement with Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the EU Commission. And NATO’s Gensec Jens Stoltenberg unflinchingly “welcomed” the outcome of the Macedonian parliamentary shenanigans and urged the MPs to “seize this historic opportunity.”"

"PressTV: Do you think, considering all the countries that seem to defy US sanctions, has anything changed in recent times?PK: Absolutely. A lot. It would have been
unthinkable only 5 to 10 years ago that countries like Iran, Venezuela
and others trade hydrocarbons, and other goods and commodities, in other
currencies than the US dollar. Today it has become a common occurrence.
It started some 5 years ago with Russia and China, when they detached
themselves from the dollar dictate — opening swap accounts in their
respective central banks and started trading in their local currencies,
circumventing the SWIFT payment system and the “obligatory” Wall Street
banks.
This is also reflected in the fact that the US dollar is rapidly
losing its status as the world’s reserve currency. When some 20 years
back more than 90% of all reserves were held in US dollar denominated
securities, today that figure has shrunk to less than 60% – and is going
down as we speak. The Chinese yuan is largely replacing the dollar as
reserve currency. Some two years ago, the Yuan was admitted by the IMF
in the basket of reserve currencies. Since then the yuan has become
officially recognized also by the west as a viable reserve money. Many
treasurers around the world, who may have been afraid before to divest
their dollar reserves into yuans, now dare do so. This, in the not too
distant, future may mean the end of the dollar hegemony."

"Are Trump's Anti-Iranian Sanctions-Waivers Strategic Or Signs Of Weakness?" (Korybko). Odd neocon spinning from Korybko. The simple fact of it is that American politicians have taken shekel bribes to take steps against the clear national interest of the US, and they are fumbling to mitigate the short and long term damage while pretending to deliver what the Khazars want.

Sheldon's not happy with his return on shekel bribe investment, so his wife gets the booby prize: "Jerusalem, Iran Deal and ‘Presidential Medal of Freedom’ — Miriam Adelson has better year than Babe Ruth!" (Weiss). When I first read the list of award winners, I thought it was a joke - Babe Ruth! Trump has a wicked sense of humor.

"Iran Needs to Address the Broader Issue of Its National Economy: A Macroeconomic Strategy in Response to US Sanctions" (Hossein-Zadeh). Russia has done very well by turning the opportunities offered by the sanctions to its national economic advantage. For one thing, the 'emergency' creates an opportunity/excuse to suppress the usual oligarch grasping that occurs in every country.

"Banksy's art highlighting occupation angers Israeli peace-pretender". All the Khazars are 'peace-pretenders', the best description of their shtick.

"It was bad enough that Western officialdom simply ignored the popular will of the Macedonians and collectively pretended that a 36.91% referendum turnout in fact expressed the “will of the majority,” and that it was sufficiently legitimate to move the matter to Parliament, where a two-thirds vote was required to move forward with the process of amending the constitution. This despite the fact that the West’s hand-picked prime minister, Zoran Zaev, had given assurances before the referendum that “citizens will make the decision,” and that Parliament would vote on the necessary constitutional changes only if the referendum was successful (meaning a 50% + 1 turnout and a majority “yes” vote).

Then, five days before the parliamentary vote, US Vice-President Mike Pence sent a “letter of support” to Zaev, ascertaining that Macedonians had, in fact, approved the name change agreement with Greece after all, because, you see, “90% (or less than a third of all the Macedonian voters – author’s note) of those that voted approved the Prespa Agreement.” Two days later, US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Wess Mitchell, fired off a letter to Hristijan Mickoski, the leader of Macedonia’s main opposition party (which opposes the name change agreement with Greece), VMRO-DPMNE, expressing “disappointment” with his party’s negative position vis-à-vis the referendum and the upcoming parliamentary vote and urging him to “create space” for his party’s MPs to vote “free from threats of violence, retribution, or other forms of coercion.”

As it turned out, Mitchell’s just wanted to make sure that “threats of violence, retribution or other forms of coercion” would remain the exclusive domain of Zaev’s puppet government and the US Embassy. And, thus, four days before the parliamentary vote, Zaev put forth an “indecent proposal” for the opposition, i.e. “amnesty for their members who are on trial for unrest at the Assembly that took place on April 27 of last year," when a former Albanian terrorist guerilla commander was elected as Parliament Speaker under strong US and EU pressure. Or, as Zaev pithily put it: “I know that everything has a price. I am ready to pay it.”

On voting day, October 19, the vote was delayed three times until the necessary two-thirds majority was secured. As to how it was secured was best summarized by a Russian Foreign Ministry statement:

“We consider what happened as a flagrant violation of all norms – both from the point of view of the law and in the moral sense… Eight votes that were necessary to secure a qualified majority were ensured by the means of blackmailing, threats and bribing opposition parliament members. Three of them, purely by chance, were released from arrest on that same day. Two others, who had open cases investigated by special prosecutors, were promised freedom. Others received corrupt financial offers in exchange for 'the right vote'. Parliament members were locked in their rooms, their cell phones were seized – this is very much in line with the spirit of European democratic practice… The American ambassador was present in the Parliament building until the end of the session, leaving no doubt as to who was leading the process… Such dirty manipulations cannot be considered the expression of will of parliament members….”

That the Russians were not exaggerating was confirmed by, among others, a tweet from Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos: “Who would have thought that in Europe of values and democracy those who do not vote according to instructions are jailed, and those who comply get a 2 million euro bonus in black money.”

Opposition leader Mickoski denounced the parliamentary circus as Macedonia’s “Black Friday” and a case of “classic rape,” and proceeded to expel from the party the seven MPs who changed sides and helped secure the necessary two-thirds vote. Bulgarian daily “Sliven Now” accused the CIA and Greece’s Soros funds of bribing the renegade Macedonian MPs. (Links between US diplomats – specifically the present US Ambassador to Macedonia, Jess Baily – and billionaire interventionist George Soros and their joint work on destabilizing Macedonia using US taxpayer money have been public knowledge for a couple of years.) According to a former adviser to the Macedonian President, Cvetin Chilimanov, the Parliament building was “under siege” on the day of the voting, teeming with politicians, police and officials from the public prosecutor’s office, and opposition leaders claimed that their MPs were offered anywhere from 250.000 to 2 million euros to change their vote.

Naturally, as was the failed referendum, the parliamentary charade was hailed by the usual EU/NATO suspects. EU Commissioner for European Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn gushed that it was “a great day for democracy in Skopje,” adding for good measure his expectation that “the free choice of all MPs is fully respected.” Hahn also issued a supportive joint statement with Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the EU Commission. And NATO’s Gensec Jens Stoltenberg unflinchingly “welcomed” the outcome of the Macedonian parliamentary shenanigans and urged the MPs to “seize this historic opportunity.”"